Solace
by HauntedVampyre
Summary: Allen and Rachel are falling out and Rachel is struggling, until she decides she can't handle it any more. Allen realises how stupid he's been. But then the town is shaken by the worst typhoon they have had and Rachel can't help but feel like she is hiding from something. Rated T for sexual references and foul language.
1. Chapter 1

**A quickee about Rachel and Allen. Allen is a bit of a knob at first but when you're married he is very sweet ^.^**

 **I wrote this story over several evenings when I was really tired and honestly I wouldn't call it my best, but I hate leaving stuff unfinished . I hope you all enjoy it though and will leave a kind review. The first chapter is more of a short introduction.**

 **WARNING: There will be a character death.**

 **I don't own anything.**

When Rachel had first moved to Echo Town to take over the farm, she was not surprised to find the town in such poor condition. After all, a man named Dunhill had written ahead to explain the town's situation: it had once been thriving, but soon slowly started to die and now it was just he, Hana the elderly shop-keeper, and Emma, who shipped out the town's produce (or lack thereof).

Rachel had thrown herself into farm work almost immediately. If the town wanted to be great again it had to be successful and it appeared that the best place to start with was shipping out decent crops. Rachel took to farm labour well which was only natural since her father had been a farmer and her mother, before her death, had worked with animals for a long time. It didn't take long to start shipping out crops and people had slowly started to move back in.

Neil, a young animal dealer with blond hair and a grumpy nature, gave her her first cow for free. Rebecca and her son Toni sold blueprints for Rachel to use when rebuilding the town. A blacksmith named Iroha helped her upgrade her tools and Rachel became friends with her very quickly. Up until Iroha, her only company had been mature adults, a child, and the only person who was her own age didn't want any company. Iroha was a breath of fresh air.

But perhaps the person who had made the biggest impression on her was a handsome hair stylist named Allen. She had built a hairdressing salon around midsummer and he had moved in quickly. He was tall, slender, with shockingly blue eyes behind a pair of rimmed glasses, and a head of thick, shiny red hair. He had scrutinised her-her grubby clothes, tangled blonde hair, eyes more of a blue-grey-and said "Come to the salon sometime. You need it."

Rachel had raised an eyebrow and retorted "If you're honestly expecting a farmer to look perfect every day, you will be extremely disappointed."

Allen looked surprised for a second, then burst out laughing. "I wasn't expecting that...you're an interesting one, Rachel." He continued smiling at her as he walked out the door and Rachel couldn't help returning it.

Interest turned into friendship, then one day they went drinking together. They both got very drunk, swam in the river (fully clothed) before going back to the salon where they had the most amazing sex Rachel had ever had in her life. A few weeks after that, Allen officially asked her out and Rachel happily accepted. Allen was incredibly narcissistic and seemed most interested in talking about himself, but Rachel put up with it. At least, she thought she could.


	2. Chapter 2

It was now the middle of spring, one year since Rachel had taken over the farm, and the town was already much improved. The town now had a restaurant, run by Clement, with Felicity (a stunning girl of Rachel's age) working as a waitress. Hossan and his son Niko operated the inn, where Felicity stayed when she wasn't working. Doctor Klaus-a stern, no-nonsense man-worked in the clinic, living in his flat above it. A young man named Rod ran a pet shop; coincidentally, he was Allen's childhood friend. Soseki, a lazy but kind journalist, lived in an Eastern-style house next door to Tina, a more active and successful journalist, who had instant chemistry with Rod. Charles and Camellia-a beautiful, loved-up couple-ran a travel agency, and their six year old daughter Hina often visited Rachel at the farm. Hina was fascinated by Rachel's livestock.

On this particular day, Rachel wasn't in the best of moods. She was feeling pressurised to revive the town with her farm, and wanted to please everyone and was so afraid of failure. She missed her father and wondered if he was alright living on his own for the first time since her mother had died eleven years ago. She had cut her hand on her sickle when harvesting fodder, and had just endured a long lecture from Klaus after he bandaged it.

Most of all, her relationship with Allen was on a downward spiral. He talked about himself a lot, and about how great he was. He rarely asked how she was feeling. In fact he didn't seem particularly interested in Rachel's life at all. Sometimes Rachel saw Rod and Tina walking together hand in hand talking and laughing, and it made her face the facts that Rod and Tina had a warmth that seemed to be missing from her and Allen.

The worst days were when she had gone to visit him in the evenings and they ended up on the sofa together, but doing different things-he was reading, she was drawing-on opposite sides of the sofa, not even looking at each other. Of course, Allen walked her home every night but he kept his arm around her waist in a formal manner. Rachel wished he would relax, hold her close to him as they walked, kiss her and laugh with her, before dropping her off with a heartfelt goodbye.

In short-and it scared Rachel to admit it-it felt as if Allen was dating her for appearances' sake.

 _He doesn't love me_ she thought to herself. _He just wants to have someone adoring him._

 _But he asked you out_ a small voice had argued. _Surely if he just wanted a girl on his arm he would have asked some beautiful, like Felicity. Why would he want a messy farmer if he was going for looks?_ Admittedly Rachel had no answer to that, but she was walking to Allen's house with the intention of talking things out one way or another.

Allen wasn't in a good mood either. He was trying to come up with new hairstyles and drawing a blank every time. The wigs he was practising on all just seemed to look the same, and he couldn't get the layers right. No matter what he did, they were all uneven. No one wanted their hair to be uneven, especially when Allen had always cut it perfectly.

There was a knock at the door to his flat. "Come in," he sighed. It was most likely Rachel, and he wasn't really in the mood for company right now.

"Hi," Rachel said as she walked in. "How are you?"

"Not great. I can't get this new style right."

Irritation stirred inside Rachel. Was it too much to ask for him to not be thinking about hair all the time? He hadn't even looked at her when she walked in. She wished with all her heart that he could just put down the scissors and the wig, take her in his arms and listen to all her worries.

"Do you ever think of anything else that isn't hair?" The question had come out sharper than she intended. Allen turned and glared at her.

"Well, funnily enough, I work with hair and if I get it wrong I get no customers, and if I get no customers bills don't get paid and I don't eat."

"I know how the economy works Allen."

"It's not like farm work you know. I don't have animals to give me milk to sell. I actually have to work for money."

Rachel blinked. "Are you serious? You think I have it _easy_?"

Allen shrugged. Clearly he didn't care. Of course he didn't; the farming wasn't about _him_.

Rachel flushed. "Do you know how much time you have to invest in animals for them to produce the good quality products that people will actually buy? Do you know how scary it is when I wake up to bad weather and the possibility that my crops- _my_ revenue-will be damaged and lost? Do you know how physically draining farm labour is, not to mention the fact that everyone is counting on just me to revive this town? Oh, and I cut my hand on my tools in case you haven't noticed!"

She showed him her bandaged hand, but Allen just snorted.

"Well, that's your own damn fault if you were so stupid to get cut with your own tools. How do you even do that? The blade is nowhere near your hands!"

"Accidents happen-"

"And anyway," Allen continued coldly, as if she hadn't spoken. "You agreed to revive the town. If you don't like it, why don't you just quit? I bet Dunhill could take over and you could move to a happy, prosperous little town that won't require any real work from a little weakling like you."

Hurt swelled up inside Rachel. "Yeah, well at least if I left I wouldn't have to date such an arrogant cock like you!" Rachel snapped. That took Allen by surprise. His eyes widened for a second, then narrowed. He drew himself up to full height-six foot four, to be exact-and folded his arms across his chest.

"That's what you think of me, is it?" His voice was dangerously soft.

"It's what you are," Rachel said, defiantly. She had seen Allen angry before and he had scared her back then. This was a whole new level. Her heart was beating almost painfully fast, and normally she would have dropped her head to avoid his eye and quickly walk out of the room. But this time she was determined to have it out and she stood her ground.

"We've been dating for half a year and you never ask me how I am. You don't listen to what I have to say. You won't even kiss me in public, or hold my hand, you only want me holding on to your arm like it's the 1800s or something!" Rachel took a breath and asked the question that had been scaring her. "Do you want a girlfriend? Or do you just want to have someone following you around, doing your bidding and adoring you for the world to see?"

Allen snorted. "I've been wondering something similar myself. Do you want a boyfriend, or are you just sticking with me because I'm good in bed?"

Rachel wanted to slap his arrogant face. "We haven't had sex since Starry Night, a season ago. Besides, you're not _that_ good in bed. I only thought you were because I was so drunk."

Allen stepped closer to her, his eyes were flashing angrily. "Why are you still here if I'm so mediocre? Here's an idea: why don't you go and fuck Neil or Soseki? You can make comparisons and date your favourite. Of course, that's if they want to sleep with a dirty little farmer with no special features."

This hurt Rachel the most. "I'm not a slut," she whispered. "I'm sorry you feel that way about me, Allen. I'm sorry I can't give you the happiness you seem to think you deserve. Maybe one day you'll find some bitch who'll kiss your stuck-up little feet and inflate your ego until you can't fit through the door."

With that, she turned away and walked out the flat before Allen could say anything else. As she left the salon, the tears were silently falling down her face.

 **By the way, I don't particularly ship Rod and Tina, I just shoved them together. God, I miss having rivals in this series (even if you hated having to compete for your favourite).**


	3. Chapter 3

Allen was shaking with an unpleasant mixture of shock and rage. Rachel wasn't one to dive into a confrontation and the last thing he expected was for her to explode like that. But he was also replaying her last words to him. So he was stuck-up and arrogant and egotistical was he?

 _Yes_ a voice said. _Your mother and sister have told you enough times._

That was true. His family had always been there to knock him down a peg when he got too big for his boots.

 _But_ another voice argued, stubbornly, _Rachel knew what you were like so isn't it her own fault? If she didn't like you being you then she shouldn't have stuck around for so long._

They had been together for about half a year, and that was a long time to stay in a relationship that was making you unhappy. Still, she had gone now hadn't she? She hadn't said the words 'it's over' but her goodbye had seemed final enough.

The idea suddenly caused a stab of pain through Allen's heart. He didn't really want to push Rachel away. He had had several girlfriends in the past and none of them had lasted very long. They were all bitchy or easily upset too. One of the things he liked about Rachel was that she could stand her ground. Sure he had managed to intimidate her once or twice, but at least she didn't get physically violent, or dissolve into tears.

She sure looked upset when he suggested she sleep around. Truthfully, Allen regretted that the most. He didn't want Rachel to sleep around. He didn't want any of the other guys to have her. Besides, Rod was taken, Soseki was at least ten years older than her, and Neil was even worse than Allen in the loving-someone department.

Even more so, Allen privately thought Rachel was too good for any of them. She worked so hard, though he had never told her that, and no one else had revived a town single-handedly, himself included. Soseki was too lazy, and Neil and Rod's animal shops didn't have a big enough market. Allen's salon was doing well...but there was a big jump between being successful and reviving an entire town.

 _Would it have killed you to have told her that?_ Allen suddenly thought. _No. It would have made her happy._ He could picture the scene: he told Rachel he was impressed with her work and a big grin would light up her face. He suddenly felt a second stab of pain as he realised it had been a while since he made Rachel smile like that. It had probably been the Starry Night Festival when she had last smiled properly, the same time as when they had last had sex.

Rachel had a beautiful smile. Her whole face lit up, her eyes sparkled, and she showed off her straight, pearly white teeth. She wasn't the prettiest girl on the island. Felicity was beautiful, and Iroha was very attractive in an exotic way. And yet, it had been Rachel who had drawn Allen in. She was always happy and it was pleasant being around her. She always made Allen feel relaxed and when he watched her he wanted to smile.

That is, except for the last season. Why had everything changed? Or, a better question, why hadn't Allen ever told Rachel any of this?

 _Because I'm an arrogant cock_ Allen thought to himself. _I'm too in love with myself to notice anyone else._ And suddenly, he was ashamed.

He buried his face in his hands, feeling sick. What was wrong with him? He had been so lucky to have Rachel and he hadn't even noticed her until she wasn't there. How could he have been so stupid?

He remembered something else Rachel had said: that he didn't like kissing and cuddling in public. That was simple enough: he simply wasn't a fan of public displays of affection. He wasn't the only one, was he? Would Rachel understand that? Alright, hand holding wasn't so bad, perhaps he could try that. Maybe Rachel holding his arm was a bit _too_ old-fashioned.

 _Go to Rachel's tomorrow and apologise properly_ he told himself. _Maybe you haven't lost her forever just yet. Tell her you can change for her._

 _I can change for her if she wants_ Allen thought to himself as he drifted into an uneasy sleep. _For her..._

It didn't matter anyway. As he was having breakfast, there was a knock at his salon door. He opened it and was surprised to see Dunhill standing there.

"Good morning," he said. Dunhill grunted, which was even more of a surprise. Dunhill was kind to everyone.

"Not much good about it," Dunhill muttered. "Let me in, I want to talk to you."

Allen had a bad feeling as he stepped aside and let Dunhill in. They walked up to the flat and Dunhill sat at the table. Allen slid into the chair opposite, uneasily.

Dunhill looked him in the eye. "You've treated Rachel badly."

Allen swallowed. "I know."

Dunhill raised an eyebrow. "You know? Did you know it all along or did Rachel have to tell you that when you were arguing last night?"

Allen blinked. "You heard that?"

"No. Rachel came straight to my house afterwards and told me everything. She was very upset. She's had a lot on her mind and she's wanted to talk about them with you for a while. Trouble is, she didn't think you'd be interested."

Allen pictured not being able to talk to the person who was supposed to listen to you and found himself having to swallow back tears. Why had he let Rachel suffer?

"She's left town."

"Wait, what?" Allen was caught by surprise. It distracted him from the pain in his heart.

"She's moved out." Dunhill's voice was cold. "She packed her bags and moved back home. Me, Neil and Rod will be taking over farm work until we can find a replacement farmer. Bet they won't be as good as Rachel..." Dunhill's voice drifted off for a minute then he glared back at Allen again.

"She didn't feel like she could stand being around you anymore, Allen. She didn't want to be reminded of you because you hurt her so badly."

It was like a slap in the face. Allen couldn't do anything except whisper "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Well that's just fantastic, because you've single-handedly lost us our best resident," Dunhill growled. "This town was making a comeback. So many hopes were on Rachel and her farm. Looks like we're failing once again because Rachel sure as hell isn't coming back."

Allen shook his head weakly. "I don't believe you."

Dunhill grunted. "You should check out her farmhouse then." He left the salon.

Instantly, Allen was up, out the salon and walking down to the farm. Everything still looked the same: the barn was still there, crops were still growing. He would open the door and find the house fully furnished, and Rachel would be there, and he would go down on his knees and beg for forgiveness if he had to...

The house was empty. Just the basic furniture was still standing. All Rachel's personal possessions were gone. Allen slumped against the wall. "How could you?" he whispered hoarsely.

He felt numb as he moved around the empty house, checking each room. He knew it was pointless, but he had to. Just to be completely sure.

The bedroom hurt the most. The bed had been stripped of its sheets, leaving the bare mattress. The wardrobe door was ajar and Allen could see from here it was empty. As he stepped forward, something crunched underfoot. It was glass. The photo frame lay on the floor, a little way away from the bed. Allen knew that Rachel had picked it up from the bedside table and thrown it, causing the glass to smash. He knew what the photo was.

Iroha had taken it during the Snow Festival of the previous winter. The two of them were bundled up in coats and scarves and gloves. Snow was falling around them, they had flakes in their hair. Their cheeks and noses were red from cold. But they were both smiling. Allen looked smug, it was true, but it was a real smile nonetheless. He had one arm around Rachel's shoulders, the other around her waist as he hugged her close, probably the only time he had ever been so affectionate in public. Rachel was snuggled into his side, that beautiful smile on her face. She had smiled a lot back then.

Finally, the full extent of the situation crashed down upon Allen. His own vanity had cost him the most precious thing he had ever had: the girlfriend he loved. He slumped onto the floor, amid the pieces of broken glass, held the photo to his heart, and cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING: Character death imminent.**

Allen had kept the salon closed for the following week. He didn't even appear to go outside, though Hina insisted she had seen him in the forest once or twice. Eventually Rod decided to visit Allen and find out for sure if his friend was OK.

Rod pushed open the door of the salon and was unsurprised to find it empty. He headed up the stairs to the flat and knocked on the door.

"Allen, let me in! I want to see you!"

Rod heard a grunt, and some shuffling. Then the door opened.

"You look terrible" were the first words that left Rod's mouth.

"Thanks," Allen muttered, but he knew it was true. He hadn't slept much at all during the week, and he was sure a cold was coming on. What's more, he hadn't washed his hair at all, which was unthinkable for Allen. The red locks, usually thick and shiny, hung like rats tails around his face. It made him look old and ill. Rod felt uncomfortable as he stepped in the flat but Allen had at least kept the flat relatively clean.

"What brings you here, Rod?" Allen asked as they sat at the table, facing each other like the time Dunhill told Allen that Rachel had left.

"Frankly I'm worried about you since no one has seen you properly in a week," Rod started. "And I'm still worried about you, because you don't look well. Do you really miss Rachel that much? I mean, it seemed like you guys were kind of wearing out."

"Don't!" Allen groaned, not wanting to be reminded of what a terrible boyfriend he had been. He buried his face in hands and Rod waited awkwardly.

"I'm a terrible person," Allen muttered.

Rod never thought he would hear Allen say that. "Excuse me?"

"I'm a terrible person!" Allen repeated. "I said such horrible things to Rachel last time I saw her."

"Tell me about it," Rod offered.

Allen told him about how he had brushed off Rachel's stress and dismissed farm labour as an easy task, how Rachel felt like Allen wasn't showing her any affection, he just wanted to show her off as his girlfriend, and finally he told Rod that if Rachel didn't like their relationship she should sleep around until she found someone more interesting.

Rod sat in shocked silence for a minute and Allen looked at his fingers.

"You piece of shit," Rod managed. Allen braced himself for another verbal onslaught. "Why the heck did you tell her to sleep around? That's just...that's sick..."

"I didn't even mean any of it," Allen sighed. "I was angry and speaking without thinking." He slumped down in his chair. "I've never felt so miserable in my life."

Rod snorted. "By the sounds of things that's because no one has ever bruised your ego so much." Allen flinched. That hurt. But then Rod softened his tone. "Maybe this time you'll learn to consider other people's feelings as much as your own. You're my best friend, but God knows I've been trying to get you to realise this for years."

"Of course Rachel was going to be the one to do it," Allen sighed. "I wish she'd come back, Rod."

"Me too," Rod agreed. "But there's nothing we can do for now. I find it hard to believe she won't come back, ever...but until then we need to get on with our lives."

He stood and walked over to Allen and put his hand firmly on Allen's shoulder. "You made a mistake, like everyone does. And now you're paying for it, like everyone does. I think you're just going to have to deal with the consequences, pick yourself up, and carry on with your life. And for God's sake, get in the shower and wash your hair. Greasy hair doesn't suit you."

Allen ran his hands through his hair, shuddered, and rubbed his hands clean on his trousers. Rod laughed as Allen pulled himself up from the table and headed into the bathroom. _He'll be alright_ he thought to himself.

Allen reopened the salon. Business was slow at first-people still seemed to blame him for Rachel's departure-but their need for haircuts grew strong and they slowly came back. They started to forgive him too, agreeing with Rod's point that everyone makes mistakes. It was nice to be friends with everyone in town again, but there was still something-some _one_ -missing.

When he wasn't working Allen visited Rod and Soseki, and occasionally Iroha. They would talk away the afternoons, discussing neutral topics such as work, Rod's relationship with Tina, and Allen tried (and failed) to persuade Soseki to let Allen cut his hair. It was thick and shoulder length. Allen itched to cut it.

Occasionally, when the mood was right, they talked about Rachel. They wondered what she was doing and how she was getting on. Dunhill still hadn't found a replacement and, for once, Allen worried about him. Dunhill wasn't a very young man. Rumour had it that Klaus had given him strict warnings to listen to the aches and pains in his body-they were there to indicate when something was wrong.

 _Come back Rachel_ Allen silently prayed. _If Dunhill can't keep up the farm we'll fall apart again. We don't have to get back together, but the town needs to stay together._

It was a night in late summer. Allen was just falling asleep when a crash shook him awake suddenly. He stumbled to the window, only to see the worst typhoon he had ever seen in his life. Rain was lashing down against the window in buckets, forked lightening cracked the sky, loud thunder shook the bowels of the earth. The trees were practically at right angles from the gale, some even looked like they were being ripped from the roots. Allen was mesmerised. He had never seen anything like it.

He spent most of the night watching the storm. He wasn't going to sleep through it anyway.

The storm finally calmed at around five in the morning, at which point Allen was sitting up in bed, reading. He clicked off the lamp and finally drifted into sleep.

He woke a few hours later than normal. Cursing at the time, he stumbled about the room as he dressed quickly, then hurried into the kitchen to boil the kettle and to put some toast on.

As he was washing up, he heard the door to the salon opening, and someone walking up the stairs. However, there was no knock on the door. Just a letter through the door. The feet hurried down the stairs and left the salon.

Allen dried his hands, and went to investigate. A note was on the floor. He picked up to read, instantly recognising Dunhill's writing.

 _I'm afraid I must bring everyone bad news this morning._

 _As you are aware, last night we were hit with the worst typhoon in history. It was a complete surprise, since only a light rain had been predicted._

 _Unfortunately, Charles had been flying with passengers (not residents of the town) and was unaware of the storm ahead until it was right in front of him. There was nothing anyone could do. His plane was instantly caught up. Charles and the two passengers were killed instantly in the crash._

 _Camellia and Hina gave permission for me to alert everyone, but they have asked for privacy for now and we would do well to respect their wishes. Arrangements will be made for the burial of Charles's body and we will let you all know in time._

 _I'm sorry that we must tell you in this manner, but it is all we can do for now. Hold your loved ones tight and treasure one another. Charles will never be forgotten._

 _Dunhill_

"NO!" Allen roared. He crumpled up the letter and threw it away from him. "No, come on, it's not true!" He was shaking. First Rachel, and now Charles. What was happening in this town?

"It's not true," Allen moaned quietly. Charles had been one of his best customers. Always offering a smile, a story to tell, a helping hand to anyone. Charles made Allen want to be a better man. He had a beautiful wife who he was madly in love with. He was an excellent father to Hina...

"Oh Hina...you poor child," Allen sighed, as he tried to picture how the little girl must be feeling. She had adored her father and now he had been suddenly, cruelly snatched from her life forever. Allen's heart hurt again. He cried for Charles, he cried for Charles's friends, he cried for Charles's family who he'd left behind.

 **Sorry Charles. This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you T_T**


	5. Chapter 5

For the past season and a half, Rachel had been living with on her father's farm again. Mark had started farming at twenty one and had quite a knack for it. His farm was a lot bigger than Rachel's and she had enjoyed the challenge of a herd of fifty cows.

Mark had been sleeping when Rachel arrived back home very late at night, but the hour didn't bother him. He was more concerned about why his daughter had suddenly appeared on the doorstep, surrounded by suitcases and in a flood of tears. He made her a cup of tea and some tomato soup, listened to the story of her break up, hugged her tightly and tucked her into bed as if she were a child again. And Rachel started to feel a bit better. Even so, there was still something that didn't feel quite right.

It was very late in the summer. Rachel could already feel how much cooler it was outside. She hoped it wouldn't be too harsh a winter.

She was sitting at the table in the morning, a mug of tea and some toast smeared with butter and honey in front of her-her favourite breakfast. Mark came into the kitchen with a letter in his hand.

"This arrived for you. I think it's from your old town."

Rachel frowned as she took the envelope and slit it open. "I told Dunhill I didn't want to hear from them." She recognised Dunhill's scrawled handwriting easily.

 _Rachel_

 _I know you didn't want to hear from anyone in town but this is something I think you need to know._

 _A few nights ago we were suddenly struck with the worst typhoon in history. It had been completely unpredicted, the most we were expecting was a light rain._

 _Due to this lack of warning, Charles thought it would be OK to fly his plane that night. He and two other passengers-who aren't town residents-were flying and were caught in it without warning. They never stood a chance at survival._

 _Camellia and Hina have asked for privacy but they gave me permission to write and let you know. We will be making arrangements for Charles's burial soon so if you want to come back and attend, let me know soon._

 _Please know I'm not saying you should return to the town, especially if you're not ready, but you have as much of a right to say goodbye to Charles as the rest of us._

 _I'm so sorry you have to find out this way._

 _Dunhill_

Rachel's hands were shaking and tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Mark asked in alarm. Rachel couldn't speak, but handed him the letter. Mark read it with a furrowed brow.

"Oh, Rachel..." he said quietly. He put his hands on her shoulders as she sobbed into her hands.

After a few minutes, Rachel was done crying and he handed her a tissue.

"I just can't believe it," Rachel sniffed. "Charles was such a lovely man..."

"Rachel, darling, I'm so sorry," Mark said, sitting across the table from her.

Rachel sniffed. "I don't know what to do."

"Don't do anything," Mark told her. "Not yet. Take a day or so to think about it. Right now you just need to calm down and process."

It was a strange day. Rachel felt as if she was drifting. She couldn't focus. When she went to see the cows she tried to milk the same cow three times.

She cried at strange intervals. She would see a plane in the clear sky, or hear some music, and she would feel her eyes watering and her throat constricting again.

At around two o'clock, another letter came through the door. She picked it up and received another shock. The writing was big and looped, but the messiness suggested it was from someone young. She knew who it was from: Hina.

Rachel took the letter to her room, sat cross-legged on the floor, and opened the letter up to read.

 _Dear Rachel._

 _Papa's plane was hit by the big storm and now Papa is dead. Mama said he can't come back but we both want him to come back._

 _We are very sad without him. Mama said not to ask you to come back because you are sad too but I miss you lots. I don't know what's going to happen without Papa and I'm scared. I thought if you came back for a little while we can be sad together?_

 _Lots of love, Hina xxx_

There were tearstains on the paper from where Hina had been crying. It broke Rachel's heart all over again. The letter hit Rachel far too close to home.

Rachel quickly ran through dates in her head. Hina would have just turned seven. Rachel was only three years older than her when her own mother had died.

Julia had been a beautiful young woman, with clear blue eyes and thick blonde hair. She was always kind and friendly to everyone and Rachel adored her.

One autumn, Julia started to get sick. It was nothing much-just headaches that got significantly worse in bright lights. Julia brushed it off as the flu.

But then she started being sick a lot and couldn't always wake up in morning. There was a day when Rachel had been called out of school and sent to the local hospital, where she learned the truth. Julia had had a sudden seizure that morning and Mark had insisted on taking her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with meningitis.

The time after that was a blur of school, home and hospital visits. Julia was given treatment immediately, but for some reason it didn't work. It was like her body wasn't even trying. Her condition escalated and she passed away one winter's night in a haze of high fever and hospital medications.

Rachel remembered Mark shaking her awake that night, telling her Julia might not be around for much longer and that they needed to get to the hospital. Julia's cousin Vaughn was there. Rachel had always been a little afraid of him but that night she had clung onto him in the waiting room as Mark watched Julia's life leaving her.

Between Julia's diagnosis and Julia's death, a mere two seasons had passed.

Rachel missed a week of school to recover, but when she went back everything seemed different. Of course, nothing had really changed. But she was no longer interested. She didn't speak in class. She didn't run around outside. She didn't even speak to her friends. It all seemed so pointless and trivial. Why were her friends arguing over coloured pencils when the most important person in the world was gone forever? Eventually Rachel's friends started avoiding her completely. It took a year for Rachel to return to normal, but even so, something in her had broken and it would never be fixed again.

Now, Rachel sat in her room, holding Hina's letter to her heart. The innocent question was running through her mind: _I thought if you came back for a little while we could be sad together?_

Rachel remembered the first year without Julia. She had felt oddly separated from everyone else. How could she stay in this home-her safe house-and subject Hina to that same loneliness she had had to endure? How could she leave Hina to adjust without her father when Rachel herself had longed for a friend to stay with her and tell her it would be OK?

There was a sudden knock at the door. "Rachel? What's wrong?"

Rachel stood up and opened the door, stepping aside to let Mark in. He looked worried.

"I just got this letter...from Charles's daughter..." She handed him Hina's letter.

"Ah..." Mark sighed as he read the letter. He nodded in understanding. "How old is she?"

"She's just turned seven."

Mark winced, and put his arm around Rachel's shoulders. Rachel guessed he was thinking about Julia too.

"I just...I don't want you going back there because someone else wants you to, you know?"

"Dad, I want to go back." As Rachel spoke, she knew it was true. She wanted to be there for Hina, yes, but she also realised she had unfinished business back in the town. Her home had been a refuge-she was safe from harm, but she was aware that she was hiding from something that she needed to face.

"I'm just thinking...I don't want you to run into that ex-boyfriend of yours and for him to give you anymore grief," Mark muttered. They rarely spoke about Allen, but when he did, Mark's eyes narrowed in hatred. Honestly, it unsettled Rachel and was partly why she didn't bring it up much.

"I'm _not_ going back for Allen," Rachel said firmly. "I'm going to see my friend who has lost her father at a young age. And I'm going to see my other friends, and I miss my farm."

"Well, you're old enough to make your own decisions," Mark sighed. "You'd better let Dunhill know that you're coming back. Tell me if your ex does anything untoward. And you'll always be welcome here at any time."

"Dad..." Rachel swallowed. "Will you be OK?"

"I'll be fine Rachel. And I definitely don't want you staying here just for me!" He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Go wherever feels right to _you_ , OK?"

"OK," Rachel smiled. "I love you, Dad." She hugged him tightly.

 **Ah, home. The old refuge. I stayed at my parents house in September before having to face a harsh reality. It did feel like I was avoiding it. Luckily everything smoothed out.**

 **I like that a feature of ANB is that you sometimes get letters from other Harvest Moon worlds :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter's longer than the others**

Rachel sent Dunhill a reply and packed up her belongings, moving back into Echo Town a few days later. She arrived late in the evening on the last day of summer. Dunhill was waiting for her at the farm, and hugged her tightly.

"It's good to see you again Rachel. How are you doing?"

Rachel looked at him. "How are _you_ doing?"

Dunhill sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Surviving. Just about. The loss of Charles has hit us all. And, to be completely honest Rachel, I'm not cut out for farm work at this age."

Guilt stirred inside Rachel as she pictured Dunhill having to work on the farm everyday at seventy years old.

"Well, I'm here now so that's one less thing for you to worry about."

Dunhill managed a smile. "That's true. You should go see Hina and Camellia at some point soon though. I know they'll be glad to see you again."

Rachel nodded. "I did come back for them, especially Hina. I wanted to." To her ears it sounded like she was covering up something.

Dunhill put his hand on her shoulder. "I know," he said gently. "Look, I'll leave you to get some rest and reacquainted with your farm. You know where I am if you need me." He hugged her again before leaving.

Rachel stepped inside the house. It was exactly how she had left it. She felt a sense of home-coming.

She took her bags up into the bedroom, where the first thing she noticed was the glass on floor with the picture lying beside it. Carefully, she picked up the big shards of glass and threw them in the bin before finding a broom to sweep up the little shards. When the glass was cleared away, she picked up the picture and looked at it.

She remembered that day. She remembered laughing with her friends, building snowmen and igloos as if they were children again. It had been a bitterly cold day, and yet when Allen had wrapped her in his arms she had been filled with an indescribable warmth to which nothing could compare. She had not felt so warm since that winter.

Rachel sighed and gently tucked the picture away in her bedside table.

Rachel got up early the next morning. To her surprise, she was feeling mildly optimistic. Perhaps she was happy to be on her own farm again. She had missed it a great deal.

As it was the first day of autumn nothing was growing, so she headed straight into the barn. There was a high-pitched bleat and her alpaca, Cloud, was walking straight over to her. Rachel grinned and stroked the fuzzy wool on top of Cloud's head. "Missed you," she whispered.

Rachel cleaned out the dirt and filled the feeders with fodder before spending at least an hour with her animals. She had Cloud, two sheep-one a suffolk-named Sheila and Misty, and three cows named Milky, Daisy and Patch. Even Rachel had to admit, she wasn't exactly gifted when it came to naming animals.

But she had to face the town eventually. Rachel slowly left the barn and headed up into the town. It was still relatively early. A lot of people were still having breakfast. Rachel walked quickly, straight over to the travel agency, and knocked on the door.

Camellia answered. _She doesn't look well_ was Rachel's first thought. Camellia's hair-usually sleek and shiny-was lank. Her eyes were red with dark shadows underneath. Her face was pale and she looked thinner than Rachel remembered.

As Camellia registered that it was Rachel on the doorstep, her eyes got a little brighter and she immediately hugged Rachel tightly. "You came back," she sighed. "It's good to see you again, Rachel." Rachel hugged her back.

Camellia released Rachel and led her inside.

"Where's Hina?" Rachel asked.

"Still sleeping," Camellia sighed. "She's been struggling to sleep and I don't like waking her up early. The doctor has been round a few times, but there is only so much he can do."

Rachel swallowed. "How are you doing?"

"Still processing, I think. It was just so sudden. One day he was there and the next, he's not. I want to be strong for Hina but I think as a result I haven't been able to allow myself to grieve." Camellia sighed, deeply. "Hina's in a bad state, and if she sees me sad it will only be worse on her."

"I got her letter," Rachel said, softly. Camellia looked surprised.

"Letter? What letter?"

So Rachel told her about receiving a letter from Hina, how it had made Rachel feel, and how she had lost her mother when she was only a little older than Hina.

"Oh, Rachel, I had no idea," Camellia said. "About your mother, I mean. I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's OK."

Camellia bit her lip. "Maybe if Hina saw you were back it might help her...wait here, please."

Rachel stayed, leaning on the counter of the travel agency, as Camellia headed up the stairs. There was a few minutes of silence, then some murmurings and shuffling. Then light footsteps on the stairs.

Rachel looked up. Hina stood in the doorway, in red panda pyjamas, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders. She blinked up at Rachel.

"Rachel?"

"Hi." Rachel smiled. Hina suddenly ran over and buried her face in Rachel's tummy. Rachel knelt down to cuddle her properly.

"You're back," Hina sniffled. "You got my letter."

"I did," Rachel smiled. "I'm back for now."

Rachel and Hina went back into Hina's bedroom. They talked a bit about Charles. Unlike Camellia, Hina had seemed to process Charles's death, and she had been grieving. She had been crying a lot, she hadn't shown an interest in anything, she wasn't always hungry and she had been having nightmares.

"I know that feeling," Rachel sighed. "Hina, did you know my mother died when I was ten?"

Hina looked at Rachel with wide eyes. "No?"

Rachel told Hina the story and Hina listened with her full attention. She even held Rachel's hand as she told it.

"When I got your letter, I remembered exactly what it had been like immediately afterwards," Rachel concluded. "The situation was different but all the sadness was there. Trust me on this Hina, you don't want to hold anything back, because it will only make things so much worse. But I'll be here if you want to talk about anything. It's OK if you don't talk to _me_ , just make sure you share it with someone."

Hina nodded and sniffed. Then she looked back at Rachel.

"Did you go back home because Allen was mean to you?"

Rachel shifted uncomfortably. "He was mean to me, and I didn't want to be around him anymore."

"He was very sad when you left," Hina admitted. "I saw him and he said he missed you. I think he's sorry for being mean. He said he loves you."

Rachel froze. "Well, he never told me," she muttered, wishing Hina would change the subject.

"If you don't want to be around him, does that mean you're leaving again soon?" Hina looked like she might start crying at the thought.

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. She put her hands on Hina's shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I promise you, I won't just leave without telling you. We'll make sure that, no matter what happens, we'll still be in contact. I'll still be here for you, OK?"

"OK," Hina whispered. "Rachel...thank you for coming back."

Rachel went around the town, making sure people knew she was back. Some people, like Klaus and Rebecca, rebuked her for abandoning the town and her farm at such short notice. Rachel had hung her head in shame and apologised, and then they thanked her for coming back. Others, like Hana and Emma, almost cried when they saw her again.

Iroha had been the only person Rachel hadn't seen (with one exception). Her house was empty by the time Rachel got there, but Rachel had an idea of where to look.

Indeed, she found Iroha in the mine. Iroha's back was to her when Rachel came in. Rachel smiled.

"Iroha."

Iroha jumped, and whipped round, then broke into a wide smile herself.

"Rachel!"

The two best friends ran at each other and hugged. "I've missed you," Iroha said.

"Me too," Rachel laughed. She had been feeling better throughout the day. Perhaps it was the feeling of being back where she belonged, mixed with everyone's words of welcome.

"How have you been?" Iroha asked her.

"Surviving. You?"

"Surviving."

They both giggled then sighed. Iroha was giving Rachel that look she got when she was thinking. "You've heard about Charles?"

"Yeah. I've seen Hina and Camellia."

"Are they alright? They've been reclusive."

"I think they'll be OK. I mean, I think they'll get through it."

"They have the support of the whole town when they're ready for it."

"That does help."

"What about you, Rachel?" Iroha asked her. "You left because of Allen didn't you?"

Rachel gritted her teeth and nodded once.

"Did you want to come back now?"

"I didn't come back for Allen, I came back for Hina," Rachel said sharply. "Even so, when I was at home I felt like I was hiding. I missed you lot. I missed my farm. Coming back felt _right_." She smiled a little.

"You haven't seen Allen yet."

"No. I guess I'll run into him sooner or later but...I'm not actively searching for him."

Iroha smiled. "He's changed, you know. I think you leaving did him a world of good. He's changed. He's more open and considerate."

Rachel didn't say anything. Iroha continued. "God knows you don't have to forgive him, and you don't have to date him again. But just give him a chance. When you see him, have a proper conversation."

"Hmm." Rachel muttered. Rod had told her the same thing. Maybe it was true.

"I need to collect materials," Iroha said, picking up her hammer. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Rachel nodded. "I'll come over. Or you can come to the farm. I missed you a lot."

Rachel continued walking. She was heading up the mountain. The air was cool and fresh. She was really feeling better than she had in a long time. She didn't know what she would do when she got to the top, aside from walking back down again. Maybe it would just be nice to sit under a tree, enjoying the view.

However, when she got to the top, she saw something that made her stop. A tall, lean young man with red hair was standing, again with his back to her, looking out over the other side of the mountain. Rachel was frozen for a minute, her heart rate suddenly picking up. Then she took a deep breath and cleared her throat.

"Hi."

She could see him freeze for a second, just as she had. Then he slowly turned.

"Hello."

For a few minutes they regarded each other. _He hasn't_ _changed much. At least, on the outside_ Rachel thought to herself. He was still smartly dressed, shiny hair, his eyes as breathtaking as she remembered. _Has he really changed as much as everyone says he has?_

 _She's still beautiful_ Allen thought to himself. _There's something off about her though. I'm sure she looks more tired than usual._ _Her eyes still aren't as sparkly as they used to be._

Rachel found herself walking over to him and standing by him, also looking out over the land. They were looking away from each other now.

"It's been a while," she said casually.

"It has," he agreed. There was a pause.

 _What have we become?_ they both thought.

"How have you been?" Rachel tried to make some kind of conversation.

"Oh...alright. Just...you know, cutting hair, hanging out with our friends. Not that much different since you left."

 _Doesn't sound like a huge difference yet_ Rachel thought.

"What about you?"

Rachel looked at Allen. It was possibly the first time he had asked her about her day and, definitely a first time, he actually looked genuinely interested. She tried to sort out a proper answer in her head.

"Well...I moved back to my Dad's farm...helped out with it, mostly...he has fifty cows which is a lot more than I'm used to," she smiled softly.

Allen found himself smiling a little too. "New challenge huh?"

"It was."

For a minute they were both smiling. For a minute it was just the two of them in the world and everything could be OK.

But it was not just the two of them in the world, and there was a lot to say.

"You heard?"

"About Charles? Yeah," Rachel sighed. "It really makes you think about how short life is."

"Doesn't it just..."

"I feel the most sorry for Hina."

"What about his wife?"

"Her too, but it's different for both of them."

"They both loved him."

"It sucks when a parent dies. Trust me on that."

Allen's father hadn't died but he had walked out on them when Allen was seven...the same age Hina was when she lost Charles. He remembered seeing his mother struggling with two kids-his sister was just two years old at the time-at the same time as trying to earn money for the three of them. Still, his parents weren't exactly loved-up and he was nowhere near as close to his father had Hina had been.

"Maybe I'm not qualified to comment," Allen muttered.

Neither of them said anything for a minute. Allen looked back at Rachel. Her eyes were still that same pretty grey-blue. Her hair was still long, gently waving in the breeze. He missed playing with it.

"I miss you," he sighed. Unfortunately, he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

Rachel had been pondering about how she had dropped a hint about her mother's death-she had never told Allen about it before-and it appeared that he hadn't even noticed, as usual. So when she heard his quiet confession, it struck a nerve.

"I have nothing to say to you," she said, shortly.

"Really?" Rachel's snappy reply had irritated Allen as well.

"If you think I came back because I was pining over you, you're wrong. I know exactly how Hina is feeling and I came back to support her and Camellia. I didn't come back for you!"

"Yeah, well you came over to talk with me so clearly my presence doesn't upset you that much," Allen grunted. They glared at each other.

"You were a terrible boyfriend," Rachel said, coldly.

"You stayed with me long enough."

"Because I'm fucking in love with you, alright?!" Rachel snapped. Allen went rigid with shock. She had said it. She was in love with him. She had never told him that when they were together. Perhaps that had been a good thing though.

A dam of emotion had burst inside Rachel. She had finally said what had been in her heart for nearly a year.

"I loved you. I would have done anything for you. I love you so much it physically hurts me! And I'm such a twat because you clearly didn't feel the same way! I wanted to talk to you about so many things but it was so obvious you didn't care. I wanted to tell you everything that's happened to me, and I wanted to know everything about you, but I never said anything because I knew you didn't want to know. I was just some other girl who thought you were fantastic."

Rachel turned away as she began to cry. Allen pulled himself together in time to stop her walking away again.

"Rachel...Rachel...stop. Listen to me."

He pulled her hands away from her face and made her look at him.

"You were wrong about everything, Rachel. I felt exactly the same way about you."

"Why didn't you act like it?" Rachel sobbed.

Allen smiled sadly as he brushed a tear off Rachel's cheek. "Because I was a-how did you put it-an arrogant cock?"

Rachel snorted through her tears. Allen's smile got a bit bigger.

"I was far too in love with myself to notice when someone else was loving me. And to notice when I loved them back."

Rachel looked at him. Allen looked her deep in the eyes.

"I love you, Rachel. It wasn't until you left when I realised exactly what I had, and what I had just lost. I felt sick to my core when I found out you left. I thought you were gone for good. And I knew that I had been in love with you. I still am."

Acting quite on impulse, Rachel reached up and kissed him. It was quite unlike other kisses they had shared. They could both taste anger and hurt. Rachel's hands were gripping Allen's shirt like she wanted to tear at him. But then they both relaxed a little. The kiss softened into sweetness. Rachel's hands relaxed onto Allen's chest. Allen's arms went around Rachel's waist and he pulled her in closer.

When they finally broke apart-it could have been hours, days, years later, but was really only a few minutes-they were both breathing heavily, Allen's forehead pressed against Rachel's. Allen suddenly felt like he had been injected with caffeine. He could jump a mile into the air, run through the entire town, scream his happiness from the rooftops. At the same time he wanted to stay on the mountaintop forever, never letting Rachel go.

Rachel rested her head against Allen's shoulder. She had missed Allen as soon as she had walked out of his salon in the springtime, only she had denied it. She was better off without him, she had told herself, and she had almost believed it if it weren't for a constant aching emptiness somewhere in her heart that nothing had quite filled. As she stood here in Allen's arms, she realised the ache was completely gone. Allen had filled it again. That part of him that was in her heart would never leave her.

Still acting on impulse, Rachel pulled herself away. But this time she firmly took Allen's hand and led him down the mountain, through the river area and over to the farm.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this little thing.**

Late evening sun gently streamed through the window. Allen and Rachel lay in the bed under the covers, breathing heavily, looking up at the ceiling. Their bodies weren't touching.

"That wasn't as good as the last time," Rachel said.

"That must be what they call anger-sex. We were fuelled by anger rather than romance," Allen said, reaching over the side of the bed for his glasses. When they were on he turned to face her. "Unless I'm really not that good in bed."

Rachel smirked. She couldn't help it. "No, definitely anger-sex. You're still good in bed. Too bad compliments just inflate your head even more."

"Deflate it then. You're the only person who has been able to do that in my life, and I haven't known you nearly as long as some people."

Rachel turned to face him properly. "Everyone says you've changed. I must admit, I think today was the only time you've actually appeared genuinely interested in how I am."

"I think you're right," Allen sighed. "I don't really have an explanation. I _was_ interested, I just didn't think to ask. Guess I assumed you'd just tell me."

Rachel pondered that. "Guess I assumed you not asking meant you didn't care so I didn't bother."

"Guess we should stop making assumptions?"

"Guess we should."

They both laughed and for a minute didn't appear to be able to stop. They were both excited for the chance to talk things out, and Allen was happy to see Rachel back in town. It gave him hope.

Rachel was still unsure. There were questions on her mind.

"So...how come you were always so formal? Like, when we were in public and you only wanted me to hold on to your arm. It just felt kind of stiff, especially compared to Rod and Tina who were always so relaxed."

"I'm not a fan of PDA," Allen explained. "Never have been. It just makes me uncomfortable seeing people kiss in public. I don't want to be a part of the problem. But when you pointed it out, I realised that having you literally on my arm was old-fashioned. Hand-holding I can tolerate."

"So...we can hold hands when we walk together?" Rachel asked, sliding her hand into Allen's as she did so. He smiled and squeezed.

"Yes. I'll relax for you."

Rachel smiled a little. "What about when we're alone?"

"Oh, when we're alone we'll cuddle all you want. Maybe more than cuddle if you really want."

Rachel laughed again, more relaxed than before. Allen decided to try sliding an arm around her shoulders. Rachel shuffled closer to him and cuddled up to his chest, her legs intertwining with his. The sensation of skin-on-skin was a wonderful one and they had both forgotten how much they enjoyed it. Allen held Rachel close to him, running his fingers through her hair. Rachel looked up at him.

"Time for a haircut?"

"Maybe," Allen smiled. "I miss playing with your hair."

"I miss you playing with it too actually."

Allen gently caressed her face, watching as Rachel closed her eyes and a small smile played on her face. _She really does love me_ he thought.

"Rachel, listen. I know I have my flaws. I might pretend to ignore them and prefer to talk about my strengths, but I do know I've done you wrong. It's true that you don't know what you have until you've lost it, and when you left it was the hardest slap round the face I've ever had. I've been trying to be less arrogant, more considerate. Maybe I've got a long way to go. But I do love you Rachel and if you could find it in your heart to forgive me and give me a second chance, I would be eternally grateful."

Rachel's heart was racing and Allen's emotional conviction had left her choked up but she retained a calm exterior.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you as soon as I walked out your salon that night. But I would be lying if I said I fully believed that you have completely changed."

She regarded him for a minute. Allen kept a nervous silence.

"But I've always believed in second chances, and maybe this is something I will see over time. And..." Rachel sighed. "And I love you too much to turn you away."

Allen broke into a big smile, but Rachel's voice went sharp. "But if you make me regret this, you will be a very unhappy man!"

"Oh, I know," Allen said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Losing you was the worst pain I've felt in possibly my entire life." Rachel finally allowed herself to return his smile and snuggled back into his arms.

"I'm not just talking about that. My father doesn't like you very much, to put it lightly. If you came up in conversation his eyes narrowed. It was scary to see."

"I guess I deserved that..." Allen muttered. "I told my mother about the break-up and she said you were smart."

Rachel hadn't expected that and spluttered with laughter. "What?"

"She said you were smart for walking out on me instead of taking my crap. She's been trying to tell me to stop being so arrogant all my life and I never took heed. You opened my eyes with one argument."

"What will she say when she hears we're back together?"

"I don't think she'll judge you. She'll tell me not to fuck it up again," Allen said calmly. "Sounds like I have to work hard for the father's approval though."

"Yeah, but he's always trusted my judgement. I'll put in a good word for you."

Rachel looked up at him, with big eyes. She hadn't made them big for a particular reason, she just wanted to look at him.

A big smile grew on Allen's face and he pulled her in tight. "You're so adorable." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "My princess."

"You've never called me that before."

"If you don't like it I-"

"No, no, I like it," Rachel giggled. "It's cute."

"Cute like you."

One week later, Allen and Rachel were walking through the forest area together. They were holding hands. Allen hadn't realised that such a simple gesture could be so pleasant. The air was chilly but Rachel was finally filled with the same warmth from last winter.

"I haven't seen the rabbits around lately," Rachel sighed. She loved watching them hop about, they were so cute.

"They're probably in their burrows hiding from the cold," Allen replied. He chuckled. "If you like rabbits so much, why don't you have some on your farm?"

"I would but Rod doesn't sell them," Rachel pouted.

"Allen? Rachel?"

They turned around to see Hina. She and Camellia had been looking better since Rachel had got back. Hina seemed to have a hopefulness about her, and she was sleeping better so the dark circles under her eyes had started to go. Rachel had spent a lot of time with her in the past week, partly because Rachel could empathise with Hina, and partly so Camellia could have time to herself to grieve properly. It seemed to be helping; Camellia had finally started to look healthy again.

"Hi Hina. You OK?" Rachel greeted her cheerfully.

Hina looked at Rachel and Allen suspiciously. "Are you two together again?"

"We are," Allen confirmed, squeezing Rachel's hand.

Hina bit her lip and said nothing. Rachel let go of Allen's hand to walk towards Hina, kneeling down in front of her. "What's wrong?"

Hina glared directly at Allen. "If you make Rachel leave town again, I'll never forgive you!"

Allen laughed. He couldn't help it. The indignation of a seven year old was too amusing. Even Rachel struggled to keep a straight face.

"Hina, listen," she said calmly. "I'm not going to leave town again, even if Allen and I break up again. Leaving was a snap decision, the wrong kind of snap decision. I promise you that I'll stay on my farm with my friends." She gave Hina a hug as Allen walked over and knelt beside Rachel.

"I'm lucky to have a second chance with Rachel. I'm going to do everything I can to make her happy."

"You'd better," Hina said, sternly.

"How's your mum?" Allen asked, controlling his laughter this time.

Hina shrugged. "Mama's still sad, but I think she's starting to get better. She said she was really glad that Rachel had come back. And I noticed that she didn't eat very much before, but now she's eating the normal amount. And she looks less tired."

That's good to hear," Allen said, meaning it. Camellia still didn't go into town very often, though he knew people had been visiting her. "It sounds like you'll be alright."

"Will we? I still miss Papa," Hina sniffed.

"You'll be alright eventually," Allen amended, rubbing Hina's back.

"You'll always miss him," Rachel continued. "And that's perfectly OK. I still miss my mum. It's just that we can miss them without being sad."

Allen and Rachel walked with Hina back to the travel agency, greeting Hana and Emma as they passed. The two women were chatting outside Hana's shop, but the conversation paused as they watched the three younger citizens walk away.

"They almost look like a family," Emma smiled. "I know they're not, but someone who didn't know them might think they were."

"I know exactly what you mean," Hana agreed.

"It wasn't nice to see him so upset, but Rachel leaving and coming back did Allen a world of good."

"Allen, Camellia, Hina, it did good for all of us," Hana smiled. "I think we're going to be alright."


End file.
